Fitness Keeps Health Costs Down

Looking for some extra motivation to get moving? Check your pocketbook. A study of more than 25,000 adults (including those who were obese, had diabetes, and/or had heart disease) found that people who exercised for 30 minutes at least five days a week spent nearly 20 percent less in yearly health care costs than those who didn’t. The effect was even greater among people with cardiovascular disease, who saved more than $2,000 as a result of exercising. The findings are most important for people with heart disease risk factors, such as diabetes—exercisers in this group had the greatest benefit when it came to reducing the number of hospital stays and the amount they spent on prescription drugs ($400 less per year).Source:Journal of the American Heart Association, published Sept. 7, 2016